Author: Trenise Ferreira

We’re not even four weeks into the season and I already can’t with it. The No. 5 Trojans are 3-0 going into their first road trip of the season, where they’ll face the California Golden Bears in what those in the Trojan family call “the Weekender.” Normally, the Weekender is for taking the trip up…

Every week, The Open Man's Trenise Ferreira examines the topics around sports that are making us mad and asks: WHY THOUGH? Are We For Real Talking About Vacated Losses Right Now? Really? The No. 4 USC Trojans and Texas Longhorns are set to class on Saturday, in a game that’s billed as a rematch of…

With No. 25 Tennessee pulling out the 42-41, double-overtime victory against Georgia Tech, the first full weekend of college football came to a close. If you’re like me, you woke up on Saturday for College GameDay on ESPN and watched at least some part of each and every game for the rest of the night.…

Recently, I visited Cuba to celebrate my 27th birthday. Join me as I share what that experience was like and what I learned while I was there. Read the first part here, and the second, here. There are many things I will never forget about Cuba. The architecture, the classics, the culture – all of…

Recently, I visited Cuba to celebrate my 27 th birthday. Join me as I share what that experience was like and what I learned while I was there. Read the first part here. Going into my trip, I knew that music and sports were intricately woven into the fabric of Cuban society. The time I…

During my junior year of high school, I was an A.P. History student learning for the first time about the United States’ relationship with Cuba. Like most naïve teenagers, what fascinated me most were the blockade and the impact it had on the island. “You mean, there’s a place in the world that effectively exists…

The USC football team shares the same campus that was the home of entertainment titans like George Lucas and John Wayne. So it's only fitting that in 2016, the Trojans delivered a season that seems to come straight from the writers’ room. Seriously: this team executed your prototypical hero’s journey, and we all got to…

Let me tell you a story. In 2012, I sat down with then-newly appointed USC wide receivers coach Tee Martin. Among other things, we talked about the hurdles black coaches have to overcome to rise through the ranks. So as the conversation was coming to an end, we somehow got on the topic of Historically…

It's fitting that, just three days after No. 11 USC ended an 8-0 winning streak with a 45-27 victory over Notre Dame, quarterback Sam Darnold and defensive back Adoree Jackson received Pac-12 honors for their heroics this season. There is literally nothing you could have said in September that would lead me to believe that…

Living well is the best revenge, or so the saying goes. If that’s true, first-year USC head coach Clay Helton, his entire coaching staff and this 2016 Trojan football team are proving it, all right. Allow me to be the first to admit I was dead wrong in underestimating Helton this season -- and I…

When news broke early Sunday evening that the LSU Tigers had surprisingly given head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron the boot, USC Twitter quickly was buzzing with speculation about a potential future with Miles wearing Cardinal and Gold. After No. 18 LSU lost 18-13 in heartbreaking fashion to unranked Auburn, the powers…

Depending on who you ask in sports media, Marshawn Lynch is a man of many descriptors. To some, he's a stubborn brat making their jobs harder. To others, he's a private, introverted guy who sees no personal value from speaking with the media. Either way, TV, print, and radio journalists alike gathered around Lynch last…

Alabama announced over the weekend that it has retained Lane Kiffin as offensive coordinator, a decision that triggered sighs of relief from Crimson Tide fans and simultaneously, cheers of joy from San Francisco 49er faithful. Kiffin had been a top candidate for the 49ers newly vacated OC position according to many NFL experts, but the…